to a fault

Idioms  

1. Excessively, extremely, as in He was generous to a fault. This phrase, always qualifying an adjective, has been so used since the mid-1700s. Indeed, Oliver Goldsmith had this precise usage in The Life of Richard Nash (1762).

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

to a fault

Heathrow Express, which normally runs from Paddington to the airport every 15 minutes, is closed in both directions due to a fault with the signalling system, according to the service's website.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

Sheinbaum has long been known as cautious to a fault.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

Modest to a fault, “Midwinter Break” seems to float like something cautious and wishful, hoping along with the audience that this union’s individual strains will fall into harmony once more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

You are, almost to a fault, the caretaker of your loved ones.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 17, 2026

To most of his students and colleagues, Ernest seemed generous with credit to a fault.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik